Rigging sail in a breeze

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windsurfer2

New Member
I'm having trouble stepping my mast/sail combination in a good breeze. I did a search of the archives, but didn't get any good results.

I sail from different beaches here on the island. I usually put the boat in the water, then pull it up on the beach. Get rid of the trailer. Rig the sail on the mast. Put mast/sail in mast hole.

The problem gets to be when the wind is blowing 10-20 mph. There is so much force on the flapping sail, that it is almost impossible to get the mast vertical and in the step. Sunday, I had trouble rigging in a fairly stiff breeze. I got the mast in the mast hole, but it was only in part way. There was so much sideways pressure on the mast step, I was afraid of breaking something. I finally did get it in, but with great difficulty.

There must be an easier way. I have thought about stepping the mast without the sail, then pulling the boat on its side, sliding the sail on, then letting the boat go upright. Has anyone tried this?

Any suggestions for an easier solution would be greatly appreciated!
 
I'm learning how to step my mast with the boom on it (I have a lovely husband who steps it for me at the moment or plays catch and laughs at me trying to do it!)

The trick is to think of it like a windsurfer rig and let the wind take some of the weight for you. As I said I'm learning so not very good at this yet but my husband makes this look very easy in all wind strengths.

I wouldn't recommend rolling the sail round the mast or putting the boat on the side. If I am rigging on my own in strong winds at the moment I tend to put the mast and sail up and rig the boom once the sail is up.
 
windsurfer2 said:


The problem gets to be when the wind is blowing 10-20 mph. There is so much force on the flapping sail, that it is almost impossible to get the mast vertical and in the step.
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Are you keeping your hands far apart when you raise the mast? It gives you more control. I also use a tire or tree to rest the base of the mast against as a pivot point and stopper as I raise it. Once the mast is vertical, you have to keep it vertical as it lessens the force on it. To do this means leaning it toward the wind to counteract its force. I can do this in 10 to 20, but since it really whips me, I prefer to get some strapping lad to lend a hand. They seem to be happy to help little old ladies. Thanks, lads.
 
Hi
I always leave the boat on the trolley while I'm rigging it - it'll be more stable... (presumably). Having said that, I've never tried it any other way.

For stepping the mast, it is waaaay easier to get the mast into the upright position if you start with it pointing into the wind before you lift - this means that rather than fighting the wind, the wind is helping you. Once you've got it vertical, hopefully more easily, (you're less tired), it should be pretty easy to drop in.

I remember having a real battle a couple of years ago, which is why I now do it the way I do it.

Alternatively, grab a passer-by!

I'm loving Sailorchick's idea of stepping the mast with the boom on... I've got to try that sometime! (I'll have to make sure there's no-one watching first!).:eek:
 
It's a tough one. I once cracked the side of the mast step when I couldn't get the mast fully seated due to windage. It's the number one task I worry about every time I rig now!

I set up on a dock so perhaps the one advantage is that the boat is somewhat lower. What I do is walk down the dock with the sail mostly wrapped. However since the wrapping isn't really tight (due to the battens) and creates some force, I let the sail fly. Stand up the mast on the dock until I'm steady. Move the mast to the deck near the step and finally wait for the right moment and then insert.
 
Well, there are certainly some good suggestions here, and I'll probably end up trying most of them.

I like the idea of wrapping the sail around the mast, but I'm not sure if the battens won't stick out far enough to still create a fair amount of sail area and force, once the mast is vertical. I don't think my strength is an issue, but more that there are serious mechanical disadvantages to holding a 15' loaded mast upright, 2' off the ground, so that you're only able to grab the mast at about boom high for your top grip. Meanwhile, wind forces get greater as you go further up the mast, away from the ground. It's sort of like sitting on the short end of a teeter-totter, with an elephant on the other end. At least, that's what it felt like to me. But I think I'll try this method first.

I just did a Bing for rigging in a breeze, and came up with several discussions, including this one by Jay Livingston. I checked him out, and he seems like a knowledgeable sailor, maybe has a laser blog.

http://lasersailingnotes.com/node/91

The method he describes is a lot like what I initially suggested, but he goes into much more detail, and even suggests turning the boat on its side in the water to take the sail off! I definitely will check his method out.
 
I had tried turning the boat on its side when rigging on the sand. It seemed to work okay once you get the balancing worked out. I've wondered if some day when it's really blowing I'm going to try to pull the mast out capsized at the dock!
 
nesdog said:
I had tried turning the boat on its side when rigging on the sand. It seemed to work okay once you get the balancing worked out. I've wondered if some day when it's really blowing I'm going to try to pull the mast out capsized at the dock!
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It seems like if you put the mast fully assembled into the mast step, then pulled the boat on its side, it would find it's nuetral spot, and the balancing wouldn't be a problem?

I think I'll try this out on the grass in the next couple of days, before I even try launching. I'll report on how it works.
 
I think it all comes down to practice and timing. I lot of smaller people struggle getting the mast up off the ground and to they generally are trying to lift it from below the gooseneck fitting. You're better moving your hands further up the mast and trying to pivot the mast into the upright position. Once the mast is upright (on sand let it rest on a towel or something), in stronger winds you need to lean the mast into the wind, then lift the straight into the hole in a single motion. With practice you can lift a fully rigged standard rig into place in 20+knots, but it is a matter of timing and technique.
 
I rig with mast and boom on the ground for two reasons. First, when the breeze is up, there's much less force from the sail flogging if it's attached at the clew, which more than compensates for the weight of the boom. Second, I use a spectra clew tie down, which is much easier to rig on the ground than once the sail is up. It is important to leave the outhaul slack enough to grip the mast, and as others have mentioned to have your hands widely spaced on the mast. Having some tension on the vang prevents the boom from falling out the gooseneck.
 
I once tried rigging the mast and boom together before stepping the mast. I just about broke my back.

One rule of thumb I heard before. You can use your ability to step the mast in a breeze to gauge your ability to sail in that same breeze. For example if you can't step the mast during a 15 knot breeze, you may not have the strength to control the boat properly in a 15 knot breeze.
 
Try it like this...
 

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torrid said:
One rule of thumb I heard before. You can use your ability to step the mast in a breeze to gauge your ability to sail in that same breeze. For example if you can't step the mast during a 15 knot breeze, you may not have the strength to control the boat properly in a 15 knot breeze.
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I actually agree with this.

If you can't rig your boat, you have no business going sailing.
 
torrid said:
IOne rule of thumb I heard before. You can use your ability to step the mast in a breeze to gauge your ability to sail in that same breeze. For example if you can't step the mast during a 15 knot breeze, you may not have the strength to control the boat properly in a 15 knot breeze.
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That's a rule with some serious exceptions, IMHO. Someone really strong may be clueless as to sailing, but have no trouble stepping the mast. On the other hand, someone not that strong may have excellent sailing skills and can do quite well in heavy winds, but can't step the mast alone. In point of fact, I did manage to rig my boat on Sunday, but 2 hours and 6-7 capsizes later, I was thinking I probably should have waited for a lighter wind day. This was only my 3rd time sailing the boat. Being new to dinghy sailing, however, I am probably a little greedy, and not inclined to wait for summer to go sailing! :D

I do hear people discussing sailing in 20-30-40 k. winds. How in the world are they rigging these boats, by themselves? I don't think there is any way that I will get that mast and sail in the mast step in 20-30 k. of wind. FWIW, I'm 6'2", 185 lbs, can bench press my weight, squat 275 lbs., and do weight lifting and cardio training 3 times a week. On the other hand, I'm also just old enough to collect social security!! :)
 
Well, I gave the Jay Livingston method the empirical test this afternoon, out on the grass:

Assembled mast into 1 piece.

Stuck assembled mast into mast hole.

Pulled boat on side, using mast.

Slid sail onto mast.

Eased boat back to upright position holding onto sail.

Reversed the process to remove sail and mast.

It was so incredibly easy, I may start rigging like this on a full time basis! No strain on me, no strain on the boat.
 
torrid said:
I once tried rigging the mast and boom together before stepping the mast. I just about broke my back.

/snip
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Of course, if you step the mast with boom attached, you have to allow the sail to weathercock in the wind. If it's gusty and shift, this can require some quick footwork.
 
It's really not hard, but does require confidence in the technique, and practice, to control the rig rather than the rig controlling you!

I feel I must clarify the use of 'vertical' in many of the previous posts... having the mast properly vertical is a nightmare for obvious reasons. even in no wind, the mast should be leaned forwards so that the centre of mass of the rig is vertically above your hands - therefore you're just lifting the weight of the rig vertically. As it gets windier, you rake the mast forwards more and more to use the weight of the rig to balance the windage.

I assemble the rig as normal on the boat, and then lift it out either with two hands on the mast, (one above the gooseneck and one below, well spread out) or one hand on the falls of the kicker, and the other on the mast above the gooseneck. I lay the rig down as quickly as possible, with the mast perpendicular to the

When i want to step the rig, i grab the mast from the floor with two hands as described above. If there's a reasonable breeze the sail will hold the boom off the floor on it's own. The key is to only hold onto the mast, and let the rest of the rig do whatever it wants, i.e. least power in the rig.

It's important to have quite a bit of outhaul on and have your kicker connected so's to minimise the flapping disturbance. Then it's just a matter of swinging the top of the rig around over your head into the wind, remembering to make sure that the mast is well off vertical leaning in to the wind as much as you require to balanced it in your hands. Getting the mast in the mast tube is the only potentially tricky bit, but the quicker the better.

I would strongly advocate this method over getting a team of people to assist, as it is much easier. More than one person generally means someone is trying to control the boom, which is absolutely the last thing you want to be doing. The key is using the weight of the rig to balance the windage. A balanced rig only weighs the same as the rig, and is therefore no more challenging for the sailor to lift in whatever breeze once this technique is perfected (well nearly!). A vertical mast is asking for trouble.

I hope this helps. It really just requires practice.
 
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